Brief psychotic episodes represent an intriguing paradox in clinical psychiatry because they elude the standard knowledge that applies to the persisting psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. This Review describes key diagnostic considerations such as conceptual foundations, current psychiatric classification versus research-based operationalisations, epidemiology, and sociocultural variations; prognostic aspects including the risk of psychosis recurrence, types of psychotic recurrences, other clinical outcomes, prognostic factors; and therapeutic issues such as treatment guidelines and unmet need of care. The advances and challenges associated with the scientific evidence are used to set a research agenda in this area. We conclude that brief psychotic episodes can be reconceptualised within a clinical staging model to promote innovative translational research and improve our understanding and treatment of psychotic disorders.

短暂的精神病发作代表了临床精神病学中一个有趣的悖论，因为它们回避了适用于精神分裂症等持续性精神病的标准知识。本综述描述了关键的诊断考虑因素，例如概念基础、当前的精神病学分类与基于研究的操作、流行病学和社会文化差异；预后方面，包括精神病复发的风险、精神病复发的类型、其他临床结果、预后因素；和治疗问题，例如治疗指南和未满足的护理需求。与科学证据相关的进步和挑战被用来制定该领域的研究议程。